Written in 1913 by one of just a few remaining pioneers of Western and North-Western Queensland, George Sutherland has recorded "reminiscenses of the distant past, of men and matters-the dangers and hardships they underwent through droughts and floods, savage blacks, hunger and thirst, &c."

The author describes the "thrilling incidents" which occurred as he travelled across the wilds of Queensland with sheep to the Northern Territory in the early 1860s passing though places such as Mackay, Suttor Creek, Conway, Mount McConnell, Hughenden Station, Telemon, Marathon, Richmond Downs, and the Barclay Tableland, ... to Mary Lake where they pegged out a claim – not knowing whether they were in South Australia or Queensland. Indeed they were the first group to stock any part of the Northern Territory.

The aim of our party was to buy sheep and start out with them in quest of new country. At that time there was a big rush for runs if the quality of the country was at all favourable. When two or more discovered the same piece of country a race took place between them to Brisbane, as the first applicant's tender secured the country. It was no joke to ride hundreds of miles and then a slow boat trip, perhaps, to Brisbane, but the hot fever of securing runs was rampant and travelling magnificent distances no object so long as the land was safely secured.

This ebook is a the same as the CD version from Archive Digital Books Australasia which is available from Gould Genealogy & other retailers. This CD contains high quality scanned images of the whole original volume, and has been bookmarked for easy navigation. Pages can be searched, browsed, enlarged and printed out if required.